MUSIC SCENE: Jason Isbell, The Mavericks among best CDS of 2017

Saturday

Dec 16, 2017 at 12:01 AMDec 19, 2017 at 9:42 AM

Jay Miller

It's time again to look back at the year's best music, and join all those other writers making lists. Actually this year we're doing it a bit earlier than usual, in case anyone needs a stocking stuffer,(and you actually still buys CDs or vinyl). As always we caution that we don't get everything, and there might be stellar music out there that we simply didn't hear this year.

Over the past several years, we've also followed up later with a jazz list, because we live in a fertile region for jazz, and still receive a fairly large number of jazz albums each year. But this first list is devoted to the broad range of popular music, although no doubt our own tastes influence the picks. We like a good melody, lyrics that make sense, and music that tries to evoke feelings or tell stories. Here are our top choices for 2017, in no particular order.

"LOVE AND PROTEST" by GIRLS GUNS AND GLORY. This is the album where the country-rock band from Scituate really jumps out of the pack, and also puts the emphasis on the "rock" part of their identity. Produced by South Shore music vet Drew Townson, with the estimable Duke Levine on guitar, and guests including pedal steel icon Buddy Cage, this electrifying CD begins with the impossibly turbo-charged "Rock 'n' Roll," as vibrant a tune as they've ever recorded. But Ward Hayden's smart and thoughtful lyrics make "Well Laid Plans" stand out, and his just-short-of-a-yodel vocals turn their cover of "Hot Burrito #1" into a tearstained gem. "Memories Don't Die" is another rousing charge while "Empty Bottles" is more proof of Hayden's songwriting maturity.

"BRAND NEW DAY" by THE MAVERICKS. Yes, the quartet that melds country, rock, Cuban, and 1960's pop is back together again and probably better than ever. Raul Malo's vocals are as superb as ever, and tunes like the c'est la vie romp "Rolling Along" are impossible to ignore. There's a subtle rumba beat behind "Easy As It Seems," while "Damned If You Do" seems to mix a swinging two-step with conjunto (Mexican border music) accordion. But the guys like to aim for that expansive 1968-era Elvis sound, and "Ride With Me" does that expertly, working in a horn section and a big, dynamic arrangement without losing the sense of the song.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING?" by LOS STRAITJACKETS. This is a brilliant concept, an instrumental tour through the music of Nick Lowe, and the surf-rock guitar gods make it a revelation, with adventurous arrangements, re-imagining the songs without losing their essence. Who knew "Lately I've Been Letting Things Go" had such melodic grace, or that a slower, more pensive reading of "Cruel to be Kind" could be so gorgeous. The title cut is, of course, a wonderful piece of music artfully re-interpreted, but "Half A Boy, Half A Man" is also utterly enticing.

"THE NASHVILLE SOUND" by JASON ISBELL. The most compelling songwriter in rock today continues his streak of dazzling classics, with a visceral sound that harkens back to his days with the Drive-By Truckers. These are songs that matter, about life and love and lost dreams, and living in a fast-changing country. "Cumberland Gap" is a terrific rocker and also a poignant vignette about a man battling the wild life--the title refers to a rehab stint Isbell did years ago. "White Man's World" is a wrenching look at contemporary social upheaval and feeling trapped in it. "If We Were Vampires" is one of the most heart-tugging love ballads ever, not much about vampires, but the joy of enduring love and the painful way time rushes on. Revel in the suite, "Anxiety," about personal demons, and then savor the way "Molotov" tells how a man "broke a promise to myself, to ride the throttle 'til the wheels came off," when he met the right "brown-eye girl"--and both are superb rockers with intelligent lyrics that stay with you.

"CLOSE TIES" by RODNEY CROWELL. One of the pillars of the Americana movement never disappoints, and this latest jewel includes guest shots from Sheryl Crow and guitarists Tommy Emmanuel and former Black Crowe Audley Freed. Dig the subtle heat of the acoustic guitar ace Emmanuel on a rowdy "East Houston Blues," or the artistry behind the haunting confessional, "Reckless," where frequent bandmate Steuart Smith's acoustic guitar shines. But nothing can match the ode to time's passage, "It Ain't Over Yet" where Crowell trades verses with ex-wife Rosanne Cash and John Paul White in a performance sure to break your heart, even before Mickey Raphael's understated harmonica coda. There's a south of the border feel to the duet with Crow, "I'm Tied to Ya," a paean to the mysteries of love. Two songs, "Life Without Susanna," and "Nashville 1972" deal with some of Crowell's past pals among the songwriter's hall of fame; the first one is an homage to Guy Clark's late wife, whom Crowell admits most of their circle was in love with, while the second one details some of those crazy days when outlaw country was a way of life.

"BLACK IRISH" by SHANNON McNALLY. We first heard McNally twenty-odd years ago, opening an arena tour for John Mellencamp, and she was a captivating presence then. Today she's just as compelling, and with an added maturity to her songwriting. Just the fact that Rodney Crowell agreed to produce it should tell you McNally is deservedly playing in the big leagues of songwriters. There's a gritty, swamp-rocking tone to most of this, like the visceral "You Made Me Feel For You," or the throbbing "I Went to the Well," and McNally's voice manages to be both smooth at times, and raw when needed. The dark, acoustic ballad "Banshee Moan" is a dynamic stunner, yet also all vocal nuance. McNally kicks it out with a full rock band on "Roll Away the Stone," and glides through a brisk boogie woogie take on "Stuff You Gotta Watch," yet her own acoustic "Prayer in Open D" is in some ways the most powerful song here. And when she sings The Band's "It Makes No Difference," hearts can't help but melt.

"BIDIN' MY TIME" by CHRIS HILLMAN. This marvelous album was not only a comeback of sorts for the former Byrd, Flying Burrito Brother, and founder of the Desert Rose Band, it was produced by one of his biggest fans Tom Petty. Hillman does new versions of some older classics like "The Bells of Rhymney" and "She Don't Care About Time," as well as touching new tunes like the title cut. The re-interpreted folk classic, "The New Old John Robertson" is great fun, and Hillman's current cohorts Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson are all over this album too. Petty's sudden death this fall makes this one a bittersweet memento, but a musical triumph nonetheless.

"NOT DARK YET" by SHELBY LYNNE & ALLISON MOORER. There's something about sibling harmonies anyway, but this album of mostly covers by sisters Lynne and Moorer could be a primer for how to choose good songs and make them your own. Their renditions of Jessi Colter's "I'm Looking for Blue Eyes" and Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings uncover new levels of emotion in those tunes. "My List" from Brandon Flowers (of the Killers) is an inspired choice, as is Nick Cave's "Into My Arms." But the treatment of Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet," with Benmont Tench on organ, is the most stunning of all, a remarkable re-invention of the song and its theme of tenacity.

"SOUTHERN BLOOD" by GREGG ALLMAN. This posthumous collection was being done during Allman's last months, but the quality of the material and his singing is topnotch. There's a spine-tingling version of Lowell George's classic "Willin'" and a warm reading of Dan Penn's "Out of Left Field." But "Love Like Kerosene," from Allman's guitarist Scott Sharrard, is also a gem, and Dylan's "Going Going Gone" is surely haunting. But "My Only True Friend," penned by Allman and Sharrard, is the one that resonates deepest, as the singer intones his own eulogy, hoping we remember him for "the music in my soul." This album is the kind of farewell that makes that certain.

"BLUES ON MY SHOULDERS" by PETER WARD. Not to be too provincial, just because this album was recorded in Quincy, at Keep the Edge Studios, but this is a fine collection of classic Chicago style blues. Guest stars include New England legends like Ronnie Earl, Monster Mike Welch, Sugar Ray Norcia, Sax Beadle, and Marshfield's own Anthony Geraci, but the real star is Ward, a Maine native and singer/guitarist who toured with The Legendary Blues Band (basically Muddy Waters backing band, which continued touring after he retired) among others. Ward's original tunes are full of good natured humor ("Which Hazel?"), yet bring the blues into modern situations and don't stint on the world class musicianship. Ward's voice, like his lyric writing, is warm, restrained and appealing. Dig the hot guitar work from Welch and Ward on "Blues on My Shoulders," or the sultry sax from Beadle on the slinky "Collaborate," or relish the superb instrumental "Shiprock," but this album is a winner all the way.

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